How do I keep pipes from freezing when there is no heat in the house?

Drip hot and cold water at night, open cabinets under sinks on outer walls, and know where the water shutoff is. The National Weather Service also says to keep the heat set no lower than 55 degrees, which only works if the furnace still runs. Never thaw a frozen pipe with a flame; use a hair dryer.

No heat: how to keep pipes from freezing

If you smell gas or a carbon monoxide alarm is sounding, leave the house now and call your gas utility or 911 from outside. Minnesota Energy Resources tells its customers to leave and call from another location. The CPSC says that if a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, go outside and call 911.

What the sheet says

Once the air is safe, the National Weather Service cold-weather sheet lists four steps for pipes on an outside wall. Let hot and cold water trickle or drip at night from a faucet. Open cabinet doors so more heat can reach uninsulated pipes under a sink or near an outer wall. Leave the heat on and set it no lower than 55 degrees. If you will be away, have someone check daily that the heat is still on, or drain and shut off the water system, except indoor sprinklers.

The 55 degree line needs a furnace that can still heat the house. Dripping the water, opening the cabinets, and knowing the shutoff are the steps that remain when it cannot.

If a pipe is already frozen

The same sheet says to make sure the household knows how to shut the water off, in case pipes burst. It says never to thaw a pipe with an open flame or a torch. Use a hair dryer. It also says to be careful of electric shock in and around standing water.

Gas-smell and carbon monoxide steps come first, on What to do when the furnace is not working. Duluth lists that city's January normal from the NOAA station record.

With no heat in the house, keep the pipes from freezing and ask for a call.